Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies explores the fundamental catalysts of environmental problems, and develops within students the skills and aptitude for systems thinking, critical analysis, and creative problem solving. Our focus is both local and global, and we draw upon the humanities, and the natural and social sciences in our work. Coursework and applied experience together expose students to a range of environmental issues from the familiar, such as energy choices and climate change, to the less well-studied, like the rise of consumerism and the impact of changing settlement patterns.
Surprisingly to some, both terms (‘environmental studies’ and ‘environmental science’) are used interchangeably when describing undergraduate programmes. Many environmental studies programmes in the United States require more natural science courses than their environmental science counterparts elsewhere. At Yale-NUS College, we wish to signal the multidisciplinary qualities of our programme, which draws upon the natural and social sciences, and the humanities – hence the title ‘environmental studies’. We expect our students to be well-versed in the natural sciences and, indeed, many of them specialise in some aspect of these sciences. So do not interpret ‘environmental studies’ to mean ‘no natural sciences’. Read it instead, perhaps, as ‘much more than the natural sciences.’
Degree designation in Environmental Studies depends upon the composition of the courses in a student’s 20 unit Area of Specialisation (AofS). To receive a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, one of the two required courses in the Conceptual Approaches to Environmental Studies series and three of four in the AofS must have either a YSS or YID prefix, and a capstone project centred on the social sciences or humanities. The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree similarly requires one of the two required courses in the Conceptual Approaches series and three of four in the AofS must have a YSC prefix, and a capstone project centred on the sciences.
At least three elements differentiate us from other programmes. First, Environmental Studies at Yale-NUS builds on an innovative Common Curriculum in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. This curriculum provides the opportunity for extraordinary integration across fields of knowledge within environmental studies. Second, our Environmental Studies curriculum allows students to see environmental problems from multiple angles and around different ways of questioning. In the environmental field, an ability (and the courage!) to ask the right questions about environmental challenges is often more important than immediately arriving at or ‘knowing’ the right answers. We find that this emphasis on asking good questions best serves our students, given that the environmental problems of tomorrow may bear little resemblance to today’s challenges. It also reflects our liberal arts DNA at Yale-NUS, which emphasises creative thinking and liberating action in the service of shared prosperity and intergenerational equity. Finally, while other Environmental Studies programmes emphasise breadth of knowledge, we balance breadth and depth by requiring students to take a small suite of compulsory foundation courses, and to develop an Area of Specialisation and complete a final project that integrates key themes and methodologies in our field. Perhaps one or more of the Areas of Specialisation designed by our students speaks to your passions.
Ours is a vibrant and growing programme with a dynamic group of professors and students. Around 10 per cent of each class majors in Environmental Studies, making the programme among the largest on campus. We have an eclectic and dedicated group of faculty teaching courses and advising students. Students are engaged in an exciting variety of activities, including the Sustainable Solutions Network, and many are drawn to the special programme we have with the Yale School of Environment.
All of the Environmental Studies courses offered at Yale-NUS are listed here. They may not be offered every semester. Please contact the Head of Studies of Environmental Studies to find out what is planned in the next semesters.
Yes! There are many courses at both NUS and LKY School that may be appropriate to Yale-NUS Environmental Studies students. Students in the programme share information about these courses, and the Head of Studies of Environmental Studies regularly sends out information on course possibilities. Students are ultimately responsible for identifying the best courses and planning their schedule, in consultation with their academic advisor, and with approval from the Head of Studies.
Sometimes, but not always, and not automatically, largely because so few courses are required for the major (only nine courses, as compared to a dozen or more at comparable U.S. institutions). Nevertheless, in most cases, students should still take those extra courses as electives to satisfy general graduation requirements and deepen their Environmental Studies (ES) expertise. To answer the question: non-Yale-NUS courses can satisfy ES-major requirements in two ways. Most commonly, externally completed courses will be included in a student’s Area of Specialisation. Courses count if they are part of a coherent package of four upper-level 5 MC courses organised around a theme or question developed with an ES advisor. If, for example, you take an NUS course in environmental ethics and later fashion an Area of Specialisation in environmental ethics, that course could count as one of your four ES Area of Specialisation courses. If you instead focus on, say, renewable energy economics, the ethics course won’t count toward formal ES requirements, though it is still a great course to have and should be clearly noted on your resume. On rare occasions, externally completed courses can also substitute for one of two required 2000-level ‘conceptual approaches’ ES courses. Environmental Studies majors frequently take environmentally focused courses off-campus understanding that they may not formally count toward ES requirements if they discover, as they develop their Area of Specialisation, that one or more of these courses fails to fit into their Area of Specialisation. These courses nevertheless count toward overall MC-credit-hour requirements and may usefully inform the capstone project, so they aren’t ‘wasted’ in any way. Bottom line: students should not be shy about taking compelling ES-related courses off-campus. Final determination as to how a course is credited toward major requirements typically occurs in the third year of study, when a student finalises their Area of Specialisation in consultation with their advisor.
One-semester study abroad opportunities at a variety of partner institutions allow students to complete courses that may not be readily available at Yale-NUS, NUS or the LKY School. Additionally, Environmental Studies faculty often offer individual or small-group ‘directed readings’ around topics proposed by students. These 2MC courses are frequently designed by students in consultation with faculty.
